Special Meeting

City of Elko ) County of Elko ) State of Nevada ) SS February 12, 2026 The City Council of the City of Elko, State of Nevada met for a regular meeting beginning at 9:00 AM, Thursday, February 12, 2026. The meeting was held in the council chambers, 1751 College Ave., Elko. This meeting was called to order by Mayor Reece Keener. The public can watch the meeting by phone, tablet, laptop, or computer by going to the link provided on the agenda. Questions can be sent to cityclerk@elkocitynv.gov. I. CALL TO ORDER The Agenda for this meeting of the City of Elko City Council has been properly posted for this date and time in accordance with NRS requirements. II ROLL CALL . Present: Reece Keener, Mayor Chip Stone, Councilman Giovanni Puccinelli, Councilman via GoTo Marissa Lostra, Councilwoman Absent: Clair Morris, Councilman City Staff Present: Jan Baum, City Manager Dale Johnson, Assistant City Manager Jim Kerr, Utilities Director Andrew Storla, Water/Sewer Superintendent Scott Dancz, WRF Superintendent Paul Algerio, Public Works Jim Foster, Airport Manager Justin Alanis, Facilities Superintendent James Johnston, Fire Chief Joel Finley, Deputy Fire Chief Kyle Ward, Police Chief Annette Robinson, City Clerk Cathy Laughlin, City Planner Ralph Negron, Development Manager Julie Davis, Financial Services Director Candi Quilici, Accounting Manager Susie Shurtz, Human Resources Manager February 12, 2026 City Council | Minutes Page 1 of 12  Sarah Schick, Civil Engineer Nichole Stephens, City Clerk Technician II Joe Carr, Park Superintendent James Wiley, Parks and Recreation Director Valerie Zatarain, Laboratory Manager III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IV. COMMENTS BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC Pursuant to N.R.S. 241, this time is devoted to comments by the public, if any, and discussion of those comments. No action may be taken upon a matter raised under this item on the agenda until the matter itself has been specifically included on a successive agenda and identified as an item for possible action. ACTION WILL NOT BE TAKEN Mayor Reece Keener called for public comment and did not receive a response. V. STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP V.A. The City of Elko has started the development of a new five-year organizational strategic plan. This strategic plan for the 2025 through 2030 period is intended to help guide the City in the further development and provision of various public services and programs, the continued development of the City’s various financial and non-financial resources and administrative functions, and the continued growth and development of the community by addressing identified community needs. The third of a series of organizational strategic planning workshops, facilitated by University Center for Economic Development faculty and staff, will be held on Thursday, February 12, 2026, starting at 9:00am and ending around 4:30pm. Work to be completed during this organizational strategic plan will include: • Review of the work completed during Strategic Planning Workshop No. 2. • Finalization of a set of Priority and Primary Issues, the development of a draft set of Core Values and Guiding Principles, a new five-year Strategic Mission Statement and Strategic Vision Statement, and a draft set of Strategic Organizational (and Community) Goals and Accompanying Implementation Plan with Actionable Items. • Finalization of Resiliency and Contingency Planning Elements. Introduction and Overview Dr. Fred Steinman, Director of the University Center for Economic Developments at the University of Nevada, Reno introduced himself. He provided city staff with handouts to use alongside the workshop exercises, copies which are included in the agenda packet. February 12, 2026 City Council | Minutes Page 2 of 12  Dr. Steinmann said the workshop’s purpose was to refine the City’s five-year strategic plan and prepare it for implementation as a flexible, long-term guide. Dr. Steinmann outlined that the workshop would also include: • Review of core values, mission, and vision statements • Review of strategic goals and action items • Discussion of resiliency and contingency planning • Strategic partner mapping using the CARE model (Creation, Attraction, Retention, Expansion) to support plan implementation. EXERCISE: Review and Finalizing Priority and Primary Issues Dr. Steinman stated that approximately 99.5% of the strategic planning work is complete, with the final refinements prior to implementation. Dr. Steinman reviewed the Priority and Primary Issues: Organizational Priority Issues (ranked): 1. Sustainability of organizational, financial, and non financial resources. 2. Infrastructure, facilities, and capital improvements. 3. Continued modernization of organizational activities and processes. 4. Community outreach and engagement. Community Priority Issues: 1. Community development, housing, and economic development. 2. Healthcare services, including emergency, specialty, mental health, and senior services, recognizing Elko’s role as a regional hub. 3. Recreation and quality of life amenities. Dr. Steinmann provided the draft set of Priority and Primary Issues, found on page 1 of the, Synthesized Summary of Workshop No. 2. Jim Kerr, Utilities Director thought change housing to affordable housing. Mayor Keener stated attainable housing. Cathy Laughlin, City Planner, stated the Master Plan has a definition of housing. Dr. Steinmann said we could just probably copy and paste that definition from the Master Plan. Jan Baum, City Manager agreed with Ms. Laughlin that we do not want to focus on low-income housing. Kyle Ward, Police Chief, asked what community means in this context. February 12, 2026 City Council | Minutes Page 3 of 12  Dr. Steinmann stated that community development should be broadly defined to include community services such as youth and senior services, healthcare, recreation, and enhanced first responder engagement, with an emphasis on proactive neighborhood outreach to address issues early and supported refining the priority issue language to “community services, attainable housing, and economic development” to strengthen community attractiveness and retention while preserving Elko’s rural character. Dr. Ward stated add services after community. Dr. Steinmann stated that adding “community services” to the priority issue language clarifies the City’s role in service delivery, supports retention and attraction of residents, workforce, and businesses, and helps build an attractive community while preserving Elko’s rural Western character. Mayor Keener expressed concern that the term “community services” could imply programs beyond the City’s available funding, noting a preference for more narrowly defined services such as recreation. Ms. Baum asked Joe Carr, Parks Superintendent, to give an example of a program. Mr. Carr stated that he views “community services” as primarily recreation based programs and broader community programs, including senior involvement, which provide resources, generate revenue, and enhance community engagement. Dr. Steinmann stated that community priorities should be broadly framed, noting that college engagement is addressed organizationally, and that the community discussion should focus on whether to define priorities as “community services,” “programs,” or a broader community concept, emphasizing the need to clearly articulate the intent in the strategic plan. Dr. Steinmann stated that removing the term “community” may reduce confusion and suggested eliminating the combined reference to housing and economic development. James Johnston, Fire Chief, stated that community services are the City’s primary function and core responsibility, noting that programs may change over time, but service delivery—particularly within budget and recreation—should remain the top community priority. Dr. Steinmann asked whether the community priorities should be separated into four distinct areas of services: attainable housing and economic development, healthcare, and recreation. Chief Johnston stated that the City should focus its community priorities on areas it directly controls. Dr. Steinmann stated that community priorities could be organized into four areas: community services, attainable housing, economic development, and healthcare services. Ms. Baum noted that without housing and economic development as part of the community priorities, it would be difficult for the City to remain sustainable and financially support community services. February 12, 2026 City Council | Minutes Page 4 of 12  Mr. Carr commented that the City’s primary role is service delivery, noting that programs may change over time, but services remain the core purpose, and emphasized that housing development is necessary to support the City’s ability to provide those services. Chief Johnston commented that while housing, healthcare, and economic development have a role, the City has limited direct influence over them and should prioritize community services, which are directly controlled by the City and most directly impact residents. Dr. Steinmann commented that while community services should remain the City’s top priority, the City also plays a vital role in influencing housing, economic development, healthcare, and recreation through permitting and long-term planning, noting that thoughtful planning decisions can prevent long term negative impacts and support positive community outcomes. Chief Johnston commented that Elko already has few barriers to development, the City has limited direct influence over builders beyond incentives or accommodations, and the City has significantly greater control over the municipal services it provides than over private development activity. Ms. Laughlin noted that obtaining Section 18 would directly address the City’s top housing priority and support the City’s housing goals and objectives. Chief Johnston questioned how the City can meaningfully influence housing, economic development, and healthcare outcomes, emphasizing the need for clarity on how specific City decisions would translate into increased services, particularly healthcare. Ms. Baum noted that improved air service, such as securing a flight to Reno, is one way the City could influence healthcare access by facilitating travel for medical professionals. Dr. Steinmann commented that the City can influence economic development through shared vision, coordinated planning efforts, and partnerships, including collaboration with regional and state entities to attract businesses and support development opportunities. Mayor Keener commented that the term “healthcare services” is too broad and emphasized the need for greater diversity of services, including more specialists, to make the community more self contained and reduce the need for residents to travel for care. Dr. Steinmann emphasized the importance of diversified healthcare services and proposed refining the community priority issues to rank community services first, followed by attainable housing and economic development, healthcare, and recreation, noting that priorities may evolve over time and will be reviewed annually. Core Values Dr. Steinmann reviewed the draft core values, from the Synthesized Summary of Workshop No. 2, Page 2, noting they are foundational and non-negotiable expectations for all City representatives. He explained that the values were developed from earlier workshops and emphasized that clearly defining February 12, 2026 City Council | Minutes Page 5 of 12  them supports shared understanding, ethical conduct, consistent behavior, effective service delivery, and responsible stewardship of public resources. Mayor Keener commented that there was general consensus on the core values and suggested noting that non compliance should carry consequences, emphasizing that adherence is an expectation for City representatives. Dr. Steinmann emphasized that the core values are non negotiable, foundational expectations for all City representatives, noting that while minor clarification may occur, the values themselves should remain consistent over time and that adherence is an essential standard for continued service within the organization. Chief Johnston emphasized that core values need to be simple, clear, and memorable so employees can easily understand and recall them. He expressed concern that having too many values makes them harder to grasp and suggests using a shorter list—possibly tied to an acronym or single word—to improve clarity, consistency, and organizational alignment. Dr. Steinmann stated the core values may require minor wordsmithing but emphasized their importance as the foundation of the organization. He noted that clearly defined values establish expectations for behavior across all departments and ensure organizational alignment. While acronyms and simplified wording have value, he stressed that core values should be comprehensive enough to guide the entire organization, as this is the one area where all City functions must be unified. Dr. Ward commented that the core values list is too long and wordy, suggesting that integrity could serve as a primary overarching value rather than multiple overlapping terms. Dr. Steinmann explained that core values may at times conflict, distinguishing between morality and ethics. He emphasized that ethical decision making involves balancing competing values, such as transparency, integrity, and collaboration, noting that legal and ethical requirements (e.g., confidentiality and HIPAA) may limit full transparency in certain situations. Chief Johnston stated that clear communication is essential and supported using a single, overarching core value for clarity. He emphasized that if one core value is adopted, it should be applied consistently across the organization and clearly communicated so all City employees understand and align with it. Mayor Keener emphasized accountability, professionalism, and fiscal responsibility as key priorities. Dr. Steinmann discussed whether the core values list should be reduced or reordered, including consideration of elevating fiscal responsibility. He emphasized that all core values are equally important, non negotiable, and carry consequences for noncompliance. He noted challenges municipalities face in fully controlling fiscal responsibility due to state and legislative constraints and suggested either adjusting the order of values or clarifying that all core values are of equal importance. Dr. Steinmann stated that all seven core values are interconnected, equally important, and form the foundation of the organization. He noted that the values should not contradict one another and February 12, 2026 City Council | Minutes Page 6 of 12  suggested clarifying that they carry equal weight, with possible minor reordering or simplified wording, provided no definitions raise concerns or require further discussion. Dr. Ward suggested centering core values around customer service and community focus, emphasizing the need for clear, simple language so employees easily understand expectations and their role in serving the community. Dr. Steinmann stated he was seeking initial feedback on the core values definitions and whether participants were satisfied. He noted the definitions may be refined later, with additional opportunities for review through the technical report, City Council consideration, public input, and future four year reviews, and confirmed the core values would move forward at this stage. Mission Statement Dr. Steinmann read the Mission Statement from the Synthesized Summary of Workshop No.2, Page 6. Dr. Steinmann explained that the mission statement is not aspirational but defines what the City does and why it exists today. He stated that all actions should align with the mission and that initiatives inconsistent with it should be revised or not pursued. He noted the mission statement was synthesized from prior workshops and reflects service to citizens through a clean, safe, and thriving community, responsible governance, essential services, public safety, infrastructure, economic development, education, community involvement, and responsible growth. He indicated the draft mission statement is generally on track, with potential for refinement. Ms. Baum noted the mission statement is very similar to the City’s existing statement. Dr. Steinmann stated the revised mission language emphasizes serving citizens rather than simply providing a clean city, noting this change better reflects a direct connection to the community and aligns with prior discussion. Mr. Carr recommended prioritizing “safe” ahead of “clean” in the mission statement language. Dr. Steinmann noted only minor revisions are needed to the mission statement, such as emphasizing “safe” and “clean.” He explained the vision statement should be aspirational and five year focused, highlighting responsible growth, improved services and infrastructure, quality of life, innovation, resource protection, and a unified sense of “One Elko.” Vision Statement Dr. Steinmann reviewed the draft vision statement, found on page 9 of the Synthesized Summary of Workshop No. 2, emphasizing responsible growth, enhanced public services and infrastructure, long term decision making, quality of life, economic and recreational opportunities, innovation, resource protection, and fostering a unified sense of “One Elko.” Chief Johnston recommended that the vision statement be concise and limited to a single, memorable sentence. He emphasized focusing on a unifying “One Elko” concept that clearly guides decision February 12, 2026 City Council | Minutes Page 7 of 12  making across the organization, noting that shorter vision statements are more effective and easier to remember than lengthy descriptions. Dr. Steinmann explained that the vision statement is the unifying guide for the five year strategic plan, directing long term goals and decision making while distinguishing it from the mission, which reflects current operations. He emphasized responsible growth, data informed decisions, and preservation of Elko’s rural character, and noted the vision is intended for internal use as a clear, concise statement guiding implementation. Jim Foster, Airport Manager, referenced JetBlue’s vision statement, “to inspiring humanity.” Dr. Steinmann explained that he intentionally did not provide vision statement examples, noting that marketing style visions (e.g., “inspire humanity”) lack strategic value. He emphasized that the vision statement should unify diverse and sometimes unrelated organizational goals by providing clear strategic direction for the entire City organization. Ms. Laughlin stated the draft vision language is too wordy and suggested simplifying it by focusing on strengthening the City’s position as a municipality and removing unnecessary phrases, such as “data informed,” since those practices are already understood. Mr. Kerr suggested significantly shortening the vision statement into a single, concise sentence that reflects Elko as a modern rural community focused on responsible growth and long term decision making. Dr. Steinmann suggested simplifying the vision statement to a single sentence identifying Elko as a model or modern rural municipality, with supporting language moved to explanatory text in the strategic plan rather than included in the vision statement itself. Ms. Laughlin questioned whether the proposed vision sentence, if applied to each decision (such as hospital decisions), would effectively guide and answer decision making. Chief Johnston questioned whether decision making should be framed around whether actions are considered “modern,” noting this is a significant and potentially challenging standard to apply consistently. Ms. Laughlin questioned whether describing Elko as “modern” is appropriate, noting that the mission statement emphasizes the City’s Western heritage. Dr. Steinmann clarified that describing Elko as a “modern” or model rural municipality refers to responsible growth, improved public services, and efficient, data informed organizational processes. He emphasized that modernization focuses on internal operations and technology and does not diminish Elko’s rural Western heritage or community identity. Councilmember Marissa Lostra suggested using clear, unifying language that reflects Elko’s rural roots and can be broadly identified with, proposing a vision focused on leveraging strengths, promoting innovation, protecting resources, and fostering a unified sense of “One Elko.” February 12, 2026 City Council | Minutes Page 8 of 12  Dr. Steinmann asked for the statement to be repeated for clarification. Councilmember Lostra declared Elko will leverage its strengths, promote innovation, protect resources, and foster a unified sense of “One Elko.” Dr. Steinmann confirmed consensus on a single sentence vision statement: “The City of Elko will leverage its strengths to promote innovation, protect resources, and foster a unified sense of One Elko.” He explained the statement serves as the unifying lens of the strategic plan, with additional explanation—including service to the public—addressed in supporting text rather than the vision statement itself. 11:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. BREAK EXERCISE: Reviewing and Refining the Draft Set of Strategic Goals Dr. Steinmann noted consensus on priorities, values, mission, and vision, and introduced review of 10 streamlined strategic goals to ensure they are achievable over five years. He emphasized that the goals are intended to be ambitious yet realistic, supported by partnerships, and open for feedback, wordsmithing, additions, or deletions before finalization. The Strategic Goals can be found in the Synthesized Summary of Workshop No. 2, Page 10. Mayor Keener emphasized that acquisition of approximately 72 acres of blighted UP Railroad property is vitally important and requested that it be incorporated into the strategic goals. Dr. Steinmann directed that land acquisition and strategic land management be incorporated into Strategic Goal No. 2. Ms. Laughlin clarified that extending city limits implies annexation, which the City is not pursuing until the lawsuit is resolved. She noted that the Section 18 property is already within city limits and recommended revising the language to focus on development within existing city boundaries rather than annexation. Dr. Steinmann stated the plan will be reviewed annually, with updates to Strategic Goal No. 2 to include UP Railroad property acquisition and focus development within existing city limits. The group also agreed to add a new City Hall to Goal No. 3 and confirmed consensus on Goals 1–3, with minor revisions to Goals 4–6. Mayor Keener noted Strategic Goal No. 5 should reflect the City’s supporting role in the Event Center, not completion. Dr. Steinmann agreed and confirmed air service remains a critical stand alone strategic goal. Mr. Foster noted that some healthcare providers already travel to Elko via chartered private aircraft, demonstrating existing demand for air access. He emphasized that developing additional air routes is February 12, 2026 City Council | Minutes Page 9 of 12  attainable but depends on strong community support and financial commitment, as airlines now require communities to actively pursue and support service rather than airlines initiating routes themselves. Dr. Steinmann stated that air service requires significant financial resources and emphasized that Strategic Goal No. 6 (air service) is highly integrated with other strategic goals, noting that progress on this goal is necessary to support progress across multiple areas of the strategic plan. Mr. Foster stated that reliable regional air service is a key factor for companies evaluating Elko, noting that limited destinations and reliability can hinder business attraction efforts. Dr. Steinmann emphasized that reliable air service is essential to workforce mobility and economic activity and confirmed it as Strategic Goal No. 6 for the next five years. He then moved discussion to Strategic Goals 7–10, covering workforce retention, fiscal stability, community participation and safety, and continued modernization. Mayor Keener stated that while some problem areas exist, overall, the City has strong employee retention and typically ranks at or above mid tier in salary surveys. Dr. Steinmann discussed Strategic Goal No. 7 (employee retention), noting that retention reflects both employee responsibility for continual improvement and the City’s responsibility to support employees. He recommended keeping the goal high level, without specific retention targets, and emphasized continued focus on competitive compensation, wellness programs, flexible schedules, and ongoing salary surveys to maintain mid tier or better competitiveness and communicate that commitment to the public. Mr. Carr stated that the wording of Strategic Goal No. 7 could imply the City is not compensating employees competitively and expressed concern with that perception. Dr. Steinmann expressed agreement with maintaining continued competitive compensation and indicated the proposed 30% target could be removed to keep Strategic Goal No. 7 high level and flexible. Susie Shurtz, Human Resource Director, stated that while challenges exist, recent compensation studies show the City is paying competitively, with most positions ranking near the top of the pay scale, though not the highest overall. Dr. Steinmann explained that Strategic Goal No. 7 (employee retention) recognizes the highly competitive labor market in the region, particularly competition from private industry offering significantly higher wages. He noted that the goal acknowledges existing strong retention, while recognizing that no organization is immune to workforce challenges. Mr. Carr stated that employee retention is critical to the City’s ability to provide high quality community services, noting that City employees deliver most services. He emphasized that while compensation is a factor, the City offers strong benefits, and additional retention strategies should be included as a strategic goal to support and maintain the existing workforce. February 12, 2026 City Council | Minutes Page 10 of 12  Dr. Steinmann stated that highlighting workforce retention helps market the City as an employer and supports recruitment in an extremely competitive labor market, particularly in rural Nevada. He noted agreement with Strategic Goal No. 7, emphasizing the City’s strong retention efforts while recognizing external labor pressures. He indicated minor wordsmithing could be made to reflect continued retention success. He further reviewed Strategic Goals 8–10, noting that Goal No. 8 addresses long term fiscal stability, Goal No. 9 appropriately focuses on public safety services (law enforcement, fire, EMS), and Goal No. 10 emphasizes continued modernization of internal City processes and technology. Mayor Keener asked for clarification on what is meant by “strengthening budgeting practices,” specifically whether it implies good or bad budgeting performance. Dr. Steinmann explained that “strengthening budgeting practices” does not indicate deficiencies but refers to ongoing improvement through tools such as updated budgeting software, new technologies, partnerships, and enhanced community engagement, while continuing to comply with state mandated budgeting requirements. He emphasized that the City’s budgeting process is strong but should continue to seek efficiencies and opportunities for increased effectiveness as conditions, technologies, and partnerships evolve. Ms. Laughlin expressed concern that the draft language appears to limit community participation strategies to monthly meetings and a new business connection program. Chief Johnston emphasized that reducing community risk through prevention is a top priority. He highlighted community risk reduction as central to defining meaningful community participation. Dr. Steinmann recommended clarifying Strategic Goal No. 9 to link community risk reduction to participation, collaboration, and enforcement, with ongoing risk assessment and a new business connection program to support compliance. He confirmed consensus on all ten strategic goals, with only minor modifications, and stated they remain well prioritized and balanced. 12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m. WORKING LUNCH EXERCISE: Identifying Strategic partners Responsible for the Creation, Attraction, Retention and Expansion of Needed Resources and Existing Capital Resources Dr. Steinmann then introduced the lunchtime exercise, asking participants to identify potential strategic partners for each goal using the CARE Model to support implementation. EXERCISE: Matching Stgrategic Partners with Strategic Goals Staff moved to the next exercise, sorting previously identified public, private, nonprofit, and individual partners under each of the ten strategic goals based on where they could best support implementation. Partners could be listed under multiple goals, and the group was given time to complete the sorting before moving on. 1:35 p.m. -1:45 p.m. BREAK February 12, 2026 City Council | Minutes Page 11 of 12  Mayor Reece Keener left at 1:45 p.m. EXERCISE: Reviewing and Refining the Draft Responsive and Steady-State Initiatives Dr. Steinmann outlined short-term responsive initiatives and long-term steady state initiatives to strengthen resiliency and support the City’s strategic goals over the next five years. Found on page 15 of Presentation Materials, Synthesized Summary of Workshop No. 2. General agreement was expressed with the proposed initiatives. EXERCISE: Evaluating the Strategic Plan in its Entirety Dr. Steinmann concluded that the strategic plan is complete in structure and ready to move into implementation. Staff generally agreed that the plan provides clear direction, is realistic with some external uncertainties, addresses barriers through communication and partnerships, and will guide City decisions and budgeting over the next five years, with annual review and refinement. VI. COMMENTS BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC Pursuant to N.R.S. 241, this time is devoted to comments by the public, if any, and discussion of those comments. No action may be taken upon a matter raised under this item on the agenda until the matter itself has been specifically included on a successive agenda and identified as an item for possible action. ACTION WILL NOT BE TAKEN Councilmember Stone called for final public comment and did not receive a response. There being no further business, Councilmember Stone adjourned the meeting at 2:02 p.m. Mayor Reece Keener Annette Robinson, City Clerk February 12, 2026 City Council | Minutes Page 12 of 12